Six days after graduating from Pleasant Grove High School in Elk Grove near Sacramento, Tony Nguyen’s life took a tragic turn.
The athletic 18-year-old dove into the pool head first. His head struck the bottom and he was motionless for several minutes, reports the Sacramento Bee.
“All of a sudden they were like, ‘Where is Tony at?’ And then they turned around, and he was, like, floating underneath the water,” Nguyen’s sister Lynda Yap said. “They thought he was playing for a little bit. They realized after a few minutes that he wasn’t moving.”
He suffered a broken neck and spinal cord injury.
Doctors give Nguyen a 10-20 percent chance he will ever regain mobility and walk again.
Nguyen played soccer with the FC Elk Grove 98 which was ranked 10th in the country. He had planned to play for Cosumnes River Community College next year.
Yap’s goal is to become a motivational speaker to other kids who have suffered spinal cord injuries.
A Go Fund Me page has been set up to help fund Tony’s rehabilitation.
In three short weeks, more than $11,000 has been raised with the goal of $100,000.
“No one imagined that Tony’s next chapter of his life would start like this,” reads the plea on Go Fund Me. “We are asking for support for both Tony and his family as they start this journey to recovery. The money will be used to offset costs for the family, any equipment that Tony might need once he goes home, renovations for the home to allow Tony to move around easily, and to help pay for college once he is able to return to school.”
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